Matt is a native of Marion, NC, situated in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. He is the son of a Baptist minister, and his mother is a retired elementary school teacher.
From an early age, Matt was involved in the music ministry of his church, serving as an accompanist and choral director. He began training as a pianist at age six and began organ study at age 15 in his home town.
Matt attended Wake Forest University (NC), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in music (piano performance) and philosophy. While at Wake Forest, Matt was a Music Associate at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, NC, where he directed the Royal School of Church Music programs.
After graduating from Wake Forest, Matt served as a full-time music director at Baptist churches in Winston-Salem and Raleigh, NC, where he served for several years, building comprehensive choral and instrumental music programs for children, youth and adults.
Feeling the need to further his music education, Matt pursued a Master of Music degree at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. While in graduate school, Matt served both Westminster Presbyterian and First Presbyterian Churches in Greensboro, NC, as a music associate.
After completing his master’s degree, he moved directly into a Doctor of Musical Arts program at UNC Greensboro, while serving as chapel organist at Canterbury School and working as a teaching assistant at UNC Greensboro. Matt will complete the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting in the summer of 2013 with a dissertation that compares and contrasts the role of the chorus in musical theatre and opera/oratorio.
In the fall of 2011, Matt became the interim Music Director of the Music Theatre program and Instructor in Performing Arts at Elon University (NC), where he conducted three major musicals and taught music theory courses. He enjoyed his time in the university setting, but is excited to return to his first love: church music ministry.
Professionally, Matt has worked extensively as a collaborative pianist and choral conductor. He made his Lincoln Center (NY) debut at Alice Tully Hall in December 2010 as a collaborative pianist and has also served as a conductor of the Greensboro Choral Society.
In July of 2011, Matt was invited to be the music director and accompanist for the American Songbook Gala for the Greensboro Opera Company and Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C. He is a member of the American Choral Directors’ Association, the American Guild of Organists, and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.